Elaine Fuchs used to do crossword puzzles as a diversion from her undergraduate studies. With crosswords, every solved clue creates new hints to help solve neighboring clues. Fuchs, an HHMI investigator at The Rockefeller University, has followed a similar approach throughout her professional life. By honing each experimental finding into a new set of tools, she has probed deeper into the question that first piqued her curiosity three decades ago. read story
When it comes to replenishing lost body parts, some of our distant cousins can teach humans a thing or two. Zebrafish, for example, have no problem regenerating perfect tailfins after being nipped by an aquarium mate—or snipped by an inquisitive doctoral student, like the University of Washington’s Cristi Stoick-Cooper. read story
One of Sheng Ding’s favorite activities outside the lab is scrambling up the twisted granite boulders of Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park. By finding just the right combination of grips, foot placements, and body English, Ding can mold his body to the cracks and outcroppings, surmounting virtually any obstacle he encounters. read story (pdf)